Uttar Pradesh's Stark Gender Gap in Politics Amid Women's Reservation Bill Push
Even as the central government convened a three-day special sitting of Parliament this Thursday to consider an amendment for implementing the women's reservation bill, the current representation of women from Uttar Pradesh in elected bodies presents a starkly contrasting picture. This disparity underscores the critical importance of the forthcoming legislation, which aims to provision a 33% quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, effective from the 2029 general elections.
Lok Sabha Representation: A Mere 9% for Women
A detailed examination of the Lok Sabha reveals that women remain significantly under-represented in Uttar Pradesh. Out of the state's 80 seats, women MPs occupy only seven, accounting for a mere 9% of the total. The Samajwadi Party leads with five women MPs out of its 37-member contingent, representing 13.5%. In contrast, the BJP, with 33 Lok Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh, is represented by only one woman MP—Hema Malini from Mathura. BJP ally Apna Dal (S) also has one woman MP, party president and Union minister Anupriya Patel.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP and its ally RLD fielded six women candidates each. The Samajwadi Party and its ally Congress fielded 12 and one women candidates, respectively, while the Mayawati-led BSP fielded three women.
Rajya Sabha and Assembly Figures: Below Parity
The situation in the Rajya Sabha is relatively better but still falls short of parity. Of Uttar Pradesh's 31 members in the Upper House, only seven are women, making up 22.5% of the total strength. The BJP accounts for six of these seven women MPs, while the Samajwadi Party, with four Rajya Sabha members, is represented solely by actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan.
In the Uttar Pradesh assembly, women legislators account for only 51 out of 403 seats, or 12.6% of the total strength. The BJP has the highest number with 30 women MLAs among its 257 legislators, translating to 11.6%. The Samajwadi Party has 15 women MLAs in its contingent of 102 legislators (14.7%). BJP ally Apna Dal (S) has four women legislators among its 13 MLAs, or 30.7%, while the Rashtriya Lok Dal has one woman MLA, Mithlesh Pal, among its nine members (approximately 11%). The Congress, with two MLAs, includes one woman legislator—Aradhana Mishra Mona.
Vidhan Parishad: The Most Skewed Representation
The scenario is even more skewed in the Vidhan Parishad. Of the current strength of 99 MLCs, only four are women. Three of them—Pragya Tripathi from Bahraich, Vandana Verma from Saharanpur, and Rama Niranjan from Jhansi—belong to the BJP, which has 79 members in the Upper House. The fourth woman MLC, Annapurna Singh, is an Independent from Azamgarh.
Notably, none of the BJP allies—SBSP, Apna Dal (S), Nishad Party, and RLD—has a single woman representative in the Vidhan Parishad. The Samajwadi Party, with 10 MLCs, also lacks any woman member in the House.
Historical Context and Future Implications
In the 2022 assembly elections, a total of 559 women candidates were fielded by all parties, representing 13% of the 4,402 candidates in the fray. Congress fielded the maximum with 154, followed by BJP with 45 and SP with 42. The BSP fielded 38 women candidates.
This data highlights the persistent gender imbalance in Uttar Pradesh's political landscape, reinforcing the necessity of the women's reservation bill. As Parliament deliberates on this amendment, the state's current figures serve as a powerful reminder of the long road ahead to achieve equitable representation in India's largest state.
